We offer ongoing support to all our hearing dog partnerships

Our involvement with a hearing dog partnership never ends. We will always be on hand to help, support and advise the deaf person and their hearing dog throughout the dog’s working life.

Our regular visits

At the start of a new partnership, our client services team take over from the dog trainer to help the hearing dog and the deaf person establish their new routine and settle in to life together. This can take time, so we tend to visit regularly in the first few months.

Depending on the hearing dog partnership, our team will visit the deaf person and hearing dog partnership as little as every year or as frequent as every month once they’ve settled. It’s a great way to see how they’re getting on and answer any questions they have. But we’re always on email, skype and text message if they need us urgently.

Local support

The partnership will also be put in touch with their local Partnership Instructor who will be closer to them in case they need immediate support. This is also really beneficial as we hold regular community days for all our hearing dog recipients – where they can share stories, offer advice to one another and develop friendships.

Ongoing training

The training of a hearing dog technically never ends. We are always practising what they learned in their first two years throughout their lives so they don’t forget anything. This includes help with top up training if required.

Our team also help with any new training a hearing dog may need to learn. This can include sounds made by a new smart watch, or if a deaf person is expecting a baby, we’ll help them train the dog to alert to a baby monitor. We can also train them to pick items – like keys – off the floor for those with decreasing mobility.

A hearing dog’s retirement

After a long, happy and rewarding life, we think a hearing dog deserves a well-earned rest. A hearing dog usually retires at around 11 years old, and they almost always remain living with the deaf person who they’ve helped so much throughout their working life, or with a close family member.

Successor dogs

Two years before a hearing dog is set to retire, we’ll sit down with the recipient and explain what will happen. We’ll also discuss whether or not they would like a second hearing dog – called a successor dog. Once a deaf person receives one hearing dog, they’re guaranteed one for life. If they agreed to another, the process starts over again and we’ll continue to help them throughout their new partnership.

Read the stories of our hearing dog partnerships

Hearing dogs make a huge difference to the lives of deaf people. Read some of our deaf recipients’ stories to find out how a hearing dog helps.

How do hearing dogs help deaf people?

Ever wondered how much difference a hearing dog could make to the life of a deaf person? Click here to learn more about the sounds a hearing dog responds to and how they help reduce a deaf person's isolation and loneliness.